Visitor Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Episcopal Welcomes You!

We believe that the church does not exist to tell people what to believe.

The church exists to manifest in whom they are to believe.

Are you looking for a Church:

that is clear about the Christian faith

that is not preoccupied with secondary issues

that stands in the rich tradition of Christian worship

that encourages people to grow in the faith that they profess

that believes we ought to live so as to make a difference in the world?

If you are looking for such a church, then the Episcopal Church is for you. We welcome you and invite you into this faith and fellowship of Jesus Christ.

 

What to expect at St. John's Church

Is the church accessible for the handicapped?

Yes, the church is accessible with a wheelchair lift located in the garden. The church has accessible restrooms on the ground floor.. There is handicapped parking directly in front of the church.

 

How do people dress?

Even on special holy days like Easter, you'll find a variety of formal and informally dressed people. We are a community that celebrates and worships together as we are comfortable and we welcome the differences in our styles.

 

Are children welcome? Is there childcare?

Yes! and Yes! Children are welcome to remain with their parents for worship. Nursery care is also provided at the Sunday services. Feel free to pick up your children after the sermon so they can celebrate holy communion. The nursery is located in our basement and ushers are able to direct you to them. Yes! Children are Welcome!

 

 

Is everyone welcome at Holy Communion?

Yes! Everyone is welcome to join our community. Our church meets people wherever they are on their spiritual journey. We are an inclusive church that resists classifying or categorizing the people of God.

 

 

Are your service times always the same? How long are they?

On Sundays we worship at 8, 10:00 and on Wednesdays at 5:30.

Typically you can expect the following from our worhip services:

• The Sunday 8:00 service is in our beautiful Chapel, no music is sung, Holy Communion Rite II is celebrated and lasts about 30 minutes.
• The Sunday 10:00 service celebrates Rite I Holy Communion every 2nd and 4th Sunday with traditional Anglican hymns, organ music and choir. We celebrate Rite II Holy Communion every 1st and 3rd Sunday with an eclectic mix of hymns and contemporary music from a variety of worship styles. The service last about an hour.
• On Wednesdays, the 5:30 service is a healing service with a potluck dinner and adult education following.

 

Can I get married, baptized, or talk about my spiritual concerns with a priest at your church?

Yes. We are available to serve your spiritual and sacramental needs. Please call the church office Monday through Thursday, 9 - 5 PM. Phone (859) 873-3481.

 

The Episcopal Church

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH in the United States of America

is part of the world wide Anglican Communion which has approximately seventy million members. We claim to be both catholic -- that is, true to the historic and apostolic faith; and protestant -- that is, truly reformed and evangelical. The only required confession of faith is the Apostle's Creed (which is our baptismal creed) and Nicene Creeds which we share with all of Christendom. Our profession of faith is in Holy Baptism and our central act of worship is the Holy Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion. These are the two great Sacraments of the Church, given by Christ as a sure and certain means by which we receive his grace. Since we belong to the historic and apostolic faith, we embrace the other sacramental rites of the Church. They are confirmation, ordination, holy matrimony, reconciliation of a penitent, and unction. Because we are a global church we cannot be parochial or isolationist. Our unity of worship allows for variations which serve to remind us of the universal nature of the Church. Thus, we celebrate our diversity and tolerance is viewed not as an excuse or a sign of weakness, but as our strength.

 

THE LITURGY of the Church is expressed as the "act of the people" in a worshipping community.

We worship in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and sing hymns from three different hymnals authorized by the Standing Liturgical Commission. Both the Book of Common Prayer and the hymnals are set forward by authority of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. At our Services you will find Prayer Books and Hymnals in the pews. If you are unfamiliar with our services, you will find these helpful in following the service. The Hymnal numbers are posted on the board at the front of the church and announced. Regardless of your denominational membership, all are invited to receive communion at our table.

IN OUR WORSHIP, we are united with past, present, and future generations of Christians.

Our worship experience is carried out with a view to the glorification of God, not for our entertainment; thus, Episcopalians are not spectators but participants in worship. Not only do we express ourselves in word but also in gesture. Generally we kneel to pray, we stand to praise, and sit to be instructed. All other devotional gestures are optional and purely personal. Please feel free to do what feels comfortable in our service. For Episcopalians, worship is the most important thing we do, and ultimately this reality should characterize all that we do in every area of our life.

WE BELIEVE THAT GOD IS KNOWABLE

that you can know, experience and have a relationship with God. We believe that all of creation is good. God created each element of his creation and said, "It is good." Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is in your midst." We can be a part of it now. Therefore we embrace all of life and believe life is to be celebrated. We also refuse to divide the world into the physical and the spiritual. We believe that God is in all that we do and that living a spiritual life is 24 - 7 affair. Salvation is not a merit badge to be earned but a process -- a journey to be lived.

WE ARE LOVED.

We are never in a position of not being loved by God. When we come together to worship, we come together to celebrate that love, not to get something that is absent to us. The problem humanity faces is not the Lord's presence to us, but rather our presence to God. This is what any sacramental celebration tries to overcome -- not God's distance from us, because there is none, but rather our distance from God and our unawareness of the love that is already there for us.

WE ARE IDEALISTS.

We take words like peacemaker, mercy, grace, equality, and so forth seriously. We strive to incarnate those words into this universe. We believe in living into the ideals of Jesus and forgiving ourselves and others when we fail to do so.

We are content to LIVE WITH QUESTIONS.

Ours is a "seeker-friendly" church where we believe God will meet us wherever we are on our spiritual journey. We do not believe that we have to have an answer for everything. We have an intense respect for thoughtful holiness. We resist giving people simple answers to complex questions. We do not see ourselves in opposition to any field of inquiry, but in concert with it.

We are a people of COMMON PRAYER.

The spiritual journey is a communal activity. When we ask a person to walk the way of Jesus, we are asking her to do so in the company of fellow travelers. The people of God who we call the Church are here to strengthen and encourage one another in our spiritual life. We do this when we come together for our common act of worship and learning. We do this when we care for one another in both the good times and the bad with our ministries of presence, prayer, and kindness. We do this when we work together to alleviate the suffering of those who are oppressed in mind, body, or spirit. And we do this when we invite others to join us on our journey. When we come together as the Church in large or small groups, we are strengthened and encouraged by God and by one another.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH is a church that meets people wherever they are on their spiritual journey. We are an inclusive church that resists classifying or categorizing the people of God.